The ABC’s Triple J has signed a three-year deal with online services provider destra Corporation that will result in destra’s online music subsidiary, destra Media, developing online services for the youth market network.

In a story in today’s Australian Financial Review, John Davidson says Triple J is remaining tight-lipped about just what online services the station would make available through the destra deal although it’s expected the network will use the internet to develop and promote unsigned Australian bands, potentially giving Triple J a huge catalogue of songs it can make available as internet or mobile phone downloads at little or no cost to fans.

The internet and mobile phone services would be launched this July, the same month that Triple J is launching jtv, a collection of music TV shows it plans to broadcast on ABC TV and digital TV station ABC2. Content from the online service is also expected to appear on jtv.

Triple J Manager Linda Bracken tells the AFR the deal with destra is not to create a commercial product in the first instance although the relationship might become more commercial over time.

“We just needed to make Triple J more than a radio station. The way that young people are using media nowadays is changing dramatically and we need to remain relevant to that audience.”